Hardwired
by WhiteOwl74
Summary: Sasha Lizarde's brother has been missing and, when she is kidnapped along with Providence agent Rex, she gets to see him for the first time in 5 years. Only problem, he's part of the Pack and Van Kliess wants Sasha to join because of her unusual powers.
1. Into to my Life

Hello my peeps! I love Generator Rex so I decided to write about it! I have a few OC's in this piece and the points of view my change so I'll keep you all posted. I will still be working on my story Crossed.

Hardwired

Intro to my Life

Like everyone else, my life was changed by the Event. But I don't think many people would say it was for the better that I went EVO. I was ten went the Event happened and the same day I went EVO was also the day everything changed, which happened to be my birthday as well. I didn't change much, except for this weird marking shaped like a nanite on my arm. My sis calls it my tattoo and was really jealous until she went EVO and got her own marking. This one was a gear thing, but it pleased her since she had a tattoo now as well. My mom and dad are EVOs too and are still the same people. In my family we're all still humanoid, but we just get some kind of marking along with our new powers, except for my brother, Sheldon. He went EVO bad and ran away, even though he could remember us. I think it was because he didn't want to stick around with his "normal" family when he himself couldn't classify as normal. We still love him, though, and my parents are really worried about him. I haven't heard from him in over three months. He usually sends a letter or something once a month.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. You may be wondering, what kind of powers did I get? My family? You'd think they'd be awesome, like laser eyes or super strength. Sorry to let you down, but I've got what some call a 'shark sense' or an electric field around me from my nanites. It allows me to determine where the closest EVO is, what sort of EVO a person will be, and when they go EVO. I also see what the EVOs were before they changed.

I find my powers cool, despite the fact that my mom had the best in the family. She talks to animals, which makes some sense about her marking, something that changes into different animals. My dad's something some call a 'crystal personality', where he can control the feelings and emotions in a room or area, which influences a person's mind. I've tried to talk him into using his abilities on my fifth period teacher. No luck yet. My sis, Violet or Vi, is a techno person. She 'speaks binary' as she calls it where she sees the blueprint in her mind and causes small machines to build them with her mind. She tried to sneak into the school's grading online book so she could switch her grades. It worked, but Mom and Dad had already seen them and she got into even more trouble, resulting in a two week grounding. She never regretted it though.

The reason I'm writing this is because A. I'm bored, B. It keeps me out of my lessons with Dr. H, and C. I can't think about NOT writing this account. Where should I begin? Oh…Right…The day I got kidnapped. By my brother's friends.


	2. Chapter 1 The Chase

Hardwired

This takes place right after Beyond the Sea. Just to let you know.

Chapter One: The Chase

The day had started out normal. Went to school, did classwork, annoyed Coach Peterson. Stuff teenagers were supposed to do. 'Course nobody at school knew I was an EVO, and my family and I intended to keep it that way. No one wanted Providence to knock on their door. Even if they had a way to cure EVOs, my family and I still remembered when they would molecularly dissect something.

When I walked through the door after school, I felt a calm wave of peace wash over me. "Dad…You better not be trying to get me to do the dishes tonight!" I called out to him as I headed for the kitchen. Mom was standing by the sink that was piled a mile high with dirty plates. Vi had broken our dishwasher last week and we were waiting for the repairman to return our calls. Until then, we had to take turns washing the dishes. It wasn't fair how Dad used his powers to influence us into doing it.

Mom turned towards me, the family EVO parrot sitting on her shoulder. The EVO was twice the size of a parrot and more brightly colored with a vicious temper, but Nana had been with the family so long before the Event that we couldn't bear to send her away. Plus, the fact that Mom could control Nana if she started getting fussy helped a lot. Mom's faces stretched into a grin as she said, "Hi honey, how was school today?" Mom usually works at a veterinary clinic, but she's on maternity leave right now, she's six months along, and she'll be the first EVO to have kids. Of course, we're keeping that last bit to ourselves.

"Meh…School's school." I shrugged and threw my backpack down. "Where's Vi?"

Mom turned back to the sink and started to scrub plates. "I could use a hand here. Your sister's staying late at school again. She got into trouble hacking the school's main frame again." Mom shook her head and said, "If that girl's smart enough to switch her grades online, I don't know why she doesn't just put the effort into her studies."

"Vi's a teenager Mom," I expressed as I scrubbed some mold of a Tupperware container. "Teens do weird things, like…"

I just shut my mouth as we both turned and looked at the door across from the kitchen. _Sheldon's Room_, the sign that hung from the door said, _Enter at own risk! This means you Vi!_ A little komodo dragon was sketched on the sigh with a glare directed at anyone about to open the door. Just staring at that door makes me think of Sheldon. He was tall, athletic, and had green eyes and black untidy hair, like me. He was three years older than me and should have been in college by now. He had a passion for sports, books, minerals, and reptiles. I remember the day when he plopped a garner snake in my playpen when I was four and said, "Look what I found Sash!" We hadn't seen him in almost five years.

My eyes filled with tears and I was aware that my dad walked into the room and my feelings felt more peaceful since before Sheldon had left. Dad sighed and said, "You really shouldn't mention your brother all the time."

"You think I want to?" I snapped at my dad. "It hurts when I think about him, but it hurts even worse when I realize he could be with us now if he could do what we can! He could be in college, meet someone, and have a LIFE! But no, he got the worst part of the nanites and turned into a monster! He didn't come out of his room for three days when it happened!" I shouldn't have been mad at Dad but Sheldon and I were very close. You'd have thought we were twins.

Dad hugged me close and sighed. "Not a day goes by that I don't think about him Sasha…Every time I see you accomplish something, I feel remorse for my own son not doing the same things as you. But I try to move on, Sasha. We all have to."

"We all have to," Nana squawked in my dad's voice. Damn Nana, ruining a good moment like this. I hadn't made Dad talk about Sheldon except for once a year on Sheldon's birthday when Dad would tell stories about my older brother. I glared at Nana who squawked, "Tell Sasha the news, Kylie!"

"Shush," Mom said to Nana, as she wiped some tears off her face, "I was just getting to that, Nana. We just got a letter from Sheldon today."

"Really," I said perking up. Everyone in the family was upbeat when Sheldon sent his letters. "You didn't read it yet right?"

"No we're waiting for your sister. Now what do you want for dinner? Spaghetti with tomato sauce or salad?" When my mom started to understand animals, she went vegetarian.

"Spaghetti," I said as I started to do my homework. "Don't you guys think its funny how we always get a letter from Sheldon on a Friday?"

Mom shrugged and dumped noodles into a pot with some water. "He always said it was his favorite day of the week," she said softly.

I sighed and went back to my homework. By the time I finished, Vi was angrily stomping into the apartment. "It isn't fair," she wailed as she flung her backpack onto the table, scattering my completed homework papers. I glared at her and she growled and said, "Sorry Sasha, geez. But Principle G is taking this whole "hacking the web" too far. He just banned me from the electronics club and the computer lab!"  
>"Next time, don't try to hotwire the computer," I expressed.<p>

Vi opened the fridge, got a bottle of water, and took a swig from it. "I was just trying to make it faster!"

"Whatever," I said as I rolled my eyes. "We got a letter from Sheldon today."

"Well, that does make me feel better, or is it just Dad?"

"Both," Dad called from the living room where he was working on a business proposal for his job. "We'll read it after dinner."

Dinner itself was a stormy affair, despite the fact that Dad was trying to keep everyone's tensions in order. Mom was angrily talking to Vi about the issue at school, and Vi kept saying, "I didn't mean for the computer to explode!" Nana kept quiet for once, perhaps Mom and asked her to be silent or maybe she could tell she would just make the tension even worse or because she knew I would kill her if she did something evil when Sheldon had just sent his letter. I just kept silent and ate my pasta, wishing the meal could go faster so we could read Sheldon's letter.

Finally, we all were sitting in the living room with Sheldon's letter lying on the table. Vi and I did rock-paper-scissors to figure out who got to open it. I won. I grinned and tore the envelope at the top to open it. Inside were several sheets of Manila paper. On the paper was Sheldon's scrawled writing. I handed out the various letter and began to read aloud Sheldon's letter to the whole family.

'"Hey out there folks, it's been awhile since I've last wrote. I've found a place I can really call home and I've met some new friends. Plus, Ben's here too and we're doing what we can out here. I can't tell you where I am, since Providence might find out about it, but I'm happy to be here. You haven't been going into my room, right Vi? Mom, how's the vet clinic? Sasha what's been going on in your school? Has Coach started you on your basketball lessons yet? Has baseball season started and are you keeping up your stats? How things at work Dad? And has Banana been freaking out recently?"' Nana's real name is Banana, since she was Froot Loops when she got her and the name stuck when I named her. Mom changed it to Nana to give it a kinder feel.

'"Sorry again for not writing. Yesterday, I found a great copperhead snake out in the woods were I now live. I got a pic of it and have enclosed it in this letter. The guy in charge he is kind of nice, but he can be strict, but I'd think you would like him Sash. Eventually we could all meet up again, but the odd projects around here are kinda tough and keep us busy. I'll write back as soon as I get your letters. Just leave them at the usual drop off place. The mailman knows how to find me. See ya around!

Love Sheldon.

P.S. If Vi has gone into my room recently, please reminder her to feed Strangles."'

I smiled at Sheldon's sense of humor. Strangles was a garner snake who lived in and out of Sheldon's room. Sheldon knew Vi hated snakes, even the harmless ones, and he used this at every possible advantage. Vi shuddered slightly.

"I hope you've been feeding him, Sasha," Mom said as she rubbed her swollen belly. "He tries to get into the fridge sometimes, ESPECIALLY at night when people should be sleeping." She spoke these last lines with humor at my sister.

I grinned at the look of horror on Vi's face. She was always getting busted looking for a midnight snack. I shook out the picture of the snake and looked at it. Sheldon had it right, this guy or gal was amazing. It had a long tail, diamond marking leading down the entire body, and its eyes were looking right at the camera, or whatever Sheldon had used for the pic.

"I wonder where he's living," Dad said.

Mom shrugged and said, "Wherever he is, I hope he's safe. Sweetheart where are you going?" she asked as I got up.

"A bunch of kids from school are doing pick-up baseball tonight at the park, and I was invited." I grabbed my bat from besides the door and gammed a baseball cap on my head. "See you guys later!" I called over my shoulder as I ran out the door.

It took me five minutes to get to the field and everyone else was there. I waved at Sydney and Tyler who grinned and called me over.

"You're late Strike-out Sash," Sydney said using my nickname that Sheldon had bestowed upon me.

"Sorry, we got a letter from Sheldon and Mom and Vi were arguing about how Vi blew up another computer again or something." Sydney and Tyler were my best friends and, like everyone else, thought that Sheldon had been accepted for an early scholarship from Princeton University. No one knew the truth about what happened to him. I counted up the people on the field.

"Where's Alex?" I expressed as realized we were one short.

"She got mono remember?" Sydney said. "We're going to have to find an alternate or something."

"Hey, what's going on?" We turned to find a teenage guy with dark skin, black hair, and brown eyes standing there with a blonde guy and a chimp. The first dude had a pair of googles on his head, like he had a motorcycle or something, a red and orange jacket, blue pants, and a white and blue tee shirt. The blond guy wore an old jacket and jeans and a basket ball was tucked under his arm. The chimp had an eye patch and a fez and was wearing a shirt and snorts. I glanced at the chimp when it said, "What ya lookin' at punk?"

"A talking chimp?" I said flabbergast. I was worried at I becoming like Mom.

"Don't bother," the chimp said, "I've heard all the jokes." He gives me a sly smile like he wants to pick pocket me or something.

"Ah…Don't mind Bobo, he gets like this when he hasn't shot at something recently," the Mexican kid said. "I'm Rex and this is Noah."

"Sup," the blonde said with a smile.

"He's an EVO right?" I asked still looking at the monkey. "And what do you mean he shoots things?" 

"Like he said sweetheart," Bobo said craftily as he laid his paw on his belt. I realized that dangling from the flaps were two blaster pistols. Vi would be so jealous.

"Yeah," Rex said. "I'm one too."

"Oh," I said as I got a good look at his Nanites. They were pulsing with power and a brief glance showed that he could create machines and…cured EVOs.

"You're that guy from Providence right?" I asked with fear.

"Yeah, but I'm playing hooky right now. Mind if we join?"

"Rex can't make a dunk to save his life," Noah joked as he spun the basketball on his finger, which made Rex looked really mad.

"Sure, but I don't trust that monkey to throw anything but...his…you know."

"Don't worry sister, I only do that in emergencies."

"Alright," Sydney said. We headed for the diamond. I immediately asked for Rex and Noah to join my side, still not trusting that monkey. They agreed and Ricky, the captain of the other team, looked reluctant to accept an EVO monkey to his ranks. But he seemed to like it better when Bobo' started to caught pop flies and skimmers.

"Please tell me you two can play baseball," I begged as the chimp caught a fastball.

"I did pee-wee stuff when I was ten," Noah offered as I groaned. I turned to Rex.

"I'm anesthetic so I have no idea if I played baseball or not or even where I lived prior to the Event. Sorry," he said softly.

I coughed and said, "Look it's kind of easy. Just hit the ball away from other players and run to the bases."

"Sounds easy," Rex said as he went up to bat. He grasped the bat and waited for the pitcher to throw. The pitcher, Lefty Lenny, pitched a fastball at Rex, who swung the bat and somehow made contact with the speeding ball. The ball arched and flew over the fence that separated the field from cranky Mr. Wilson's yard and a satisfying crunch could be heard as the ball shattered a window.

"That's good right?" Rex asked confused.

"REALLY good, that's an automatic homerun!" I raced over and gave him a hug and the rest of my team followed. "The only bad thing is, you have to go get the ball from Mr. Wilson."

"Shouldn't be too hard," he said cheerfully, his face red from my surprise hug. My hugs were infamously known for their tendency to crush the hugee.

"Good luck man," said Sydney as Rex ran off to collect our ball. Since we only had one, it caused our game to be put on hold. Everyone broke up and started talking to one another. We were still talking when I felt it. There were two EVOs down the street and Rex was fighting them.

"Heads up!" Rex called as he was thrown through the fence, his fists ten times their size and encased with metal. People erupted screaming and raced off, while Sydney and Tyler stayed with me as we dove for cover with Noah.

"What are they?" Tyler called as we peeked over the top of the bench we were sheltered under. A mechanical wolf creature with long claws was slicing at Rex, who held up his metal fists defensively, while a teenage girl with four arms walked towards us.

"EVOs," I muttered. "Guys, run back and call Providence or something, and tell my parents what's going on okay?"

"Wait what are you doing?" Tyler asked as I raced away from the bench. The EVO girl's head followed me and I suddenly swerved right as a circle of deep brown and red spiraled into existence besides me.

_Thank you EVO powers_, I said silently. Thanks to my powers, I could predict where that girl would next send her portals. "RUN NOW!" I called back to my friends who got the message and raced off. I saw Bobo grab his guns off his belt and start firing.

"Hey Biowulf, where's Skalamander?" Rex questioned as he ducked an attack.

"Van Kliess said it would be best if we did this mission," the wolf growled in a synthesized voice.

"Who's Skalamander?" I asked Rex as I dodged more of those portals.

"Wait…What you are still doing here I…" Rex stuttered as he saw me duck under the girl's portal.

"Don't ask," I begged as I punched through one of the portals and the girl reared back in pain. I had successfully hit her knee.

"You're an EVO?" Rex said his guard lowering ever so slightly. The wolf slashed him and Rex was shot into the wreckage of the fence.

I scrambled over to him to make sure he was okay. "You still alive?" I questioned as I pulled him up.

"For now," he expressed. "Let's hope Providence gets here soon and…"

Suddenly I was aware that the girl had fired another portal and I realized this one I couldn't dodge with an injured Rex. Bobo the chimp was dodging a blow from that wolf, so I doubted he could help. The portal swirled over us and we were no longer in the baseball park. The area around us had mammoth pine trees and a weird red stained sky.

"Oh crud," Rex muttered. "Abysus."

"What?"

"The territory of Van Kliess, supreme EVO mastermind and whack job. He'll drain your Nanites and turn you into a statue if you displease him. He wants me to join his 'cause'" Rex said and did quotation marks at 'cause'.

"And those EVOs are his goons?' I asked as I felt another portal coming. The red-brown circle appeared and the two EVOs stepped out.

"Yeah," Rex said sourly. "Biowulf and Breach. Although I wonder why V.K. sent them out to get me without his other lackie Skalamander."

"Shut up punk, I had a different assignment."

We turned to find another EVO standing there. My heart jumped to my throat. It was a large lizard like EVO with a club of crystals, green skin, and four feet. His other arm was kind of twisted and his mouth drooled. His eyes were green…the same color they were before.

"Why'd you get Rex when Van Kliess said the target was that girl?" The EVO that had to be Skalamander questioned.

"Call it a bonus," the wolf EVO said. "We saw an opportunity and took it." I took off my ball cap so the EVO could see my eyes. If I was right, I was going to start bawling.

The EVO turned to look at me and his eyes widened. "Sash…What the heck…? WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!" he yelled at his companions. I began to cry softly.

"Wait," Rex said confused, "You've met Skalamander before?"

"He's…my …my brother. Mom is so going to kill you Sheldon."

END OF THE CHAPTER FOLKS! Stay tuned! 


	3. Chapter 2 I Meet My Brother's Boss

Chapter 3: I Meet my Brother's Boss

"You have a sister?" the four-armed girl Breach questioned to Sheldon.

"You name's Sheldon?" Rex asked with a smirk on his face.

"Yes to both of them. HOW COULD YOU NOT REALIZE THAT YOU WERE FIGHTING SASHA, BEN?" Sheldon shouted to the wolf EVO.

"Wait, Ben Wolfe?" I said as I wiped my tears away. Ben had been Sheldon's best friend and we used to hang out in the past. He was a year older than my brother and we would all go on camping trips together and play baseball. He was loyal to a fault, which made a good teammate for b-ball.

"Sorry Sasha, I couldn't tell it was you. You've grown so much since you were ten and you grew your hair out. Plus, that cap hid our eyes." Biowulf/Ben looked and sounded apologetic, but it was hard to tell with that metal mask of his. But I knew that Ben or Biowulf, whatever he called himself, was a trusty worthy guy. At least the Ben I knew was.

"Still," I said furiously. I glared at Sheldon, who looked like he was really upset. "But wait, I was the target the whole time?"

"We only went after Rex since we thought he was going to recruit you with Providence." I clasped my baseball bat even harder. I'd join Providence when Hell would freeze over or when Nana was less nutty. I hoped either one wouldn't be for a long time.

Rex snorted at this remark. "A. I need to have permission from Providence before I can do that, B. I didn't ask her that, C. I didn't even know she was an EVO, and D. your name's Ben Wolfe? That's kind of lame Biowulf."

It was so fast, but in the next second Rex was dangling upside down from Biowulf's/Ben's claws and he growled manically. "Tell a soul and you die," he growled and dropped Rex to the ground.

"Geez," Rex said as he got up and dusted himself off, "Touchy."

"Well…We still completed our mission…We have to take you to Van Kliess…Sasha, I'm sorry," Biowulf said and he shoved me, gently, forward.

"Wait, WHAT?" Sheldon expressed as he caught Biowulf's shoulder. "I know she's an EVO and Van Kliess wanted her brought into Abysus, but she's still my sister. Ben please," he begged. "He probably didn't know she was my sister!" He sounded desperate.

"Wait," Rex said confused. "You're part of the Pack, but you don't want your sister to join? That's kind of confusing, Skalamander."

"…She's a humanoid EVO, kid. She could go to college, meet someone, and have a life! I don't want her to throw away her future. And if she got hurt in a fight…I…I don't think I could take it." Hmm…It sounded almost like what I had told Dad earlier that night. _God…That was only a few hours ago and now all this happens…_

"Funny," I said as I crossed my arms. "You come all the way out here and you go up against Providence, and yet WE HAVEN'T HEARD FROM YOU OTHER THAN A LETTER A MONTH? If that girl does portals," I said as I jerked my thumb at her, "why can't you just come and see us yourself."

"Like I said in my letter, there are a lot of projects around here…"

"That's a lame excuse. And do all those 'projects' consist of kidnapping people and EVOs? 'Cause if they do, Mom and Dad will kill you."

"Wait, you're not telling Mom and Dad, are you?"

"Yes," I said, even though I probably wouldn't.

Sheldon looked pained and said, "Sasha…Look, I just wanted you guys to have a better life…"

"And your idea is to join an EVO organization that's trying to take over the world?"

"NO! I left so you guys could enjoy your lives! I didn't fit in there, Sasha. I never could. But here, they don't care if you're EVO…We can be ourselves here. But you…I don't want you to meet Van Kliess."

"Then I want to meet this Van Kliess," I expressed. "Only to piss you off."

Sheldon growled at this and looked really pissed. I turned to Ben/Biowulf and said, "Which way to meet V.K. and can Rex just go? He was trying to protect me and all those kids."

"NO…" he said flatly. He pointed over into the distance. I squinted and caught sight of a mammoth, crumbling structure. It looked like an abandon castle.

I sighed and said, "Sorry to get you into this, Rex," as we shuffled forward.

"No biggie," Rex said, but he looked, (should I say it?), fearful and cautions. "If it's anything like last time, I think I can handle it."

"Last time you had that ninja agent, that monkey and that other kid. All you got now is her," Biowulf snorted as he jerked one of his claws at me. "And as I recall, Van Kliess caused your Nanites to shut down."

"It was reflexive," Rex expressed as he climbed over a huge ridge and gave me a hand.

"And what do you mean just her?" I said angrily, ignoring Rex's offer of help and leaped up to the ledge.

"Nothing," Biowulf muttered.

"Didn't I slice him, though?" Rex asked quickly, distracting us from having a major argument.

"Reincarnation through the soil of Abysus," Breach said softly. It was the second time I had heard her speak and she sounded shy about it.

"Sounds like a vampire," I remarked as I scrambled over a pile of rocks. I nimbly dodged a soft blow of Biowulf and said, "What? He can't leave his homeland, he reincarnates, and he drains someone's life source for his own well-being."

"Nice one," Rex said with a lopsided grin. He ducked a jab from the wolf EVO and a shard of crystal from my brother. "What's your deal anyway, Sasha? You don't seem like an EVO."

I shrugged and expressed, "I have something like a 'shark sense'. I have this active electric field that allows me to determine where an EVO is, what powers it has, and what kind of EVO a person will become. For instance, Sydney, that girl who nearly kissed you earlier when you hit that ball into Mr. Wilson's window, she'll turn into a winged EVO, but keep her sanity and be able to manipulate the winds. She'll be curable, but will also be able to blend in with society since her wings fold up behind her back. She'll go EVO in roughly three weeks. What?" I questioned to the stunned faces that stare at me with confusion and disbelief. Sheldon just rolled his eyes and said, "You're getting better at it Sash."

Rex blinked and said, "I can see why Van Kliess would want you to join the Pack…You'd be able to tell what kind of potential members would be ideal against Providence."

"I'll still be talking to Van Kliess about this," Sheldon said angrily. "You're not joining the Pack, sis."

"What about in your letter when you said the guy in charge in strict, but nice?" I said crossing my arms.

"…I still don't like it sis. And if you disagreed with him…Mom and Dad would kill me if I brought you back as a life sized garden statue." I glared at him and he shut up.

We walked in silence before Sheldon started to apologize again.

"Aw crap," Sheldon said miserably as we walked towards the decaying castle. "I'm so sorry Sasha; I didn't know Van Kliess was after you."

I snorted and refused to look his way. Rex and I were being escorted by Biowulf/ Ben Wolfe. Sheldon walked with us while the freaky girl Breach brought up the rear. Probably making sure we wouldn't bolt or something.

"Look," I said to him. "What's done is done, and I'm not going to run or something when Breach can just wave her arm and a portal will open up." I glanced over at Rex who was walking kind of slow and said, "So…You've met Van Kliess before?

"Long story, involving the Pack, some agents from Providence, and a well-aimed through from Bobo that pretty much saved my life. Van Kliess tried to drain my Nanites, and, as I recall, Bobo and Noah kicked your butts earlier then, too," he said with a smirk to the Pack.

Rex couldn't dodge the blow from Biowulf, which echoed very nicely, or the crystal from Sheldon that smacked his ankle, nearly causing him to fall over. He would have, too, if I hadn't grabbed his arm.

"Keep talking smack kid," Biowulf threatened, "…and we keep punchin'."

I sighed and said, "How is it that we're all acting like kindergarteners when, I think, we're all in our teens?"

Breach gave a shrug with all four arms. "Teens are rebellious and don't necessarily get along with each other. Take Circe and Skalamander, for instance. This morning alone, they had a scream-fest, resulting in them getting booted off the mission today…"

"A.k.a. my kidnapping," I said.

"…Whatever….And I know for a fact that Biowulf and I can't get along, AT ALL. He's mean and commanding…"

"While you're whining and always stealing stuff," Biowulf interjected. Breach glared at him. _Geez…I guess these guys' hormones are in complete rebellion and just plain rudeness these days._

"I get the rebellion stuff," Rex said to break up their fight, "I go on road trips sometimes to blow off steam. And who can count the minor arguments? But really? I'm not like this."

"They are worse than my sister Violet," I whispered to him.

"How is Vi doing anyways?" Sheldon asked.

"You have TWO SISTER?" Breach said in shock.

"Maybe another, too," I added.

"MOM'S PREGNANT?" Sheldon sounded beyond shocked. "Are they…"

"No idea if it's an EVO or if it's a girl or boy, Mom and Dad want to be surprised. And no, we're not using your bedroom as the new kid's room."

He looked relieved slightly, then got peeved again. "Why is now the first time I'm hearing about this?"

"Look, you didn't right back for THREE MONTHS. THREE MONTHS! We didn't know if the drop-off point had changed or nor. Plus, Mom was only sure two months ago."

"Sorry, geez," he growled. I sighed and looked around. We were almost to the castle and there was a large circle of decay and tree roots surrounding it. The castle looked like it had been stacked and was covered in roots.

"…You live here," I said to Sheldon.

He shrugged and said, "It could be worse."

"How's that possible?" Rex murmured softly so only I could hear. I grinned when suddenly a sonic blast hit me. I screamed and threw my hands over my ears.

"MY BRAIN'S GOING TO EXPLODE!" I shouted hysterically. I vaguely saw Rex and Biowulf press their hands/paws to the ears while Breach covered her ears with BOTH sets of hands.

Sheldon had an irritated look on his face and he cried out, "CIRCE! Shut up! If this is your revenge on me about earlier, do you have to subject everyone to it? I don't care about the punk but…"

"Rex's here?" said an uncertain voice. Mercifully, the ringing, echoing sonic call had stopped and I lowered my arms sheepishly, Rex, Biowulf, and Breach following suit. A teenage girl with black hair dyed red at the ends and a red dress over grey tights and a shirt stepped from out of the trees. Her brown-red eyes flashed over to Rex, then gave me a glare. The girl seemed aggressive as I scanned her Nanites.

I eyebrows lifted slightly. This girl was hardcore. She was the one who had blasted us with the sonic scream. According to my Nanites, she could extend her mouth and issue sonic blasts that could force someone back, or even call an EVO forward. And I could tell she had something for Rex. Like a crush and, judging by the quick glance Rex gave her along with a quirky smile, the feeling was mutual.

Sheldon grunted and pushed me towards the screamer girl. "Circe, this is Sasha. Sasha, Circe."

I gave her a glare and said, "Tune down the frequency next time, please."

"Sorry," she said as she gave me a deluxe I-will-kill-you-when-you're-sleeping. "I saw you and I thought you were an intruder."

"What person would be insane enough to attack Abysus?"

"You'd be surprised," Circe murmured and turned to Rex. "What are you doing here?"

"Long story; involving a baseball game gone bad and protecting citizens," Rex expressed. Circe raised an eyebrow and looked at me suspiciously. Ah...She was jealous about the fact Rex had been protecting ME. Well, I wasn't interested in him at all.

I looked at Circe and shook my head as I tipped it towards Rex. In Girl, that means _Not my type…He's all yours._

She raised an eyebrow and said flatly, "Whatever. What's the point of this girl here anyways?"

Sheldon looked miserable, grimaced, and said, "We need to talk to Van Kliess. NOW."

Circe glared at me and we all started to walk again. No one spoke, the tension was so thick. Rex calmly took something out of his pocket and tossed it to me. I caught it left-handed, which was pretty cool when you're a righty. It was a white baseball, with slightly uneven red stitching. It was the ball Rex had left to pick up. I nodded my thanks to him, shoved it into my pocket, and kept moving.

By the time we had reached the castle, I had come up at least ten plans of escape for both Rex and myself, but have put down each and every one of them. Why? That girl, Breach, would probably just open a portal, Biowulf would snatch us, or Circe would go all supersonic on us and we'd get our butts wuphed. I seriously doubt the fact that Sheldon would attack me, but Rex was another thing.

I was still stewing over plans when I felt him. An EVO who had the power to control the earth. Van Kliess, ruler of Abysus. I glanced around to see where we were. We were in the castle.

"Welcome to Abysus, Sasha. And Rex! What a surprise to see you again," he said crisply. He was a tall man with black hair streaked white, a golden mechanical arm, and a black lab coat and pants. He seemed genially surprised to see Rex and kind to me, but I could see the hunger for Nanites his body needed to survive.

Carefully I looked at his extend hand, the mechanical one, and said, "Better not be trying to get my Nanites."

Van Kliess chuckled and lowered his arm. "Nothing ever gets by you, does it Sasha?"

Sheldon quickly expressed, "Van Kliess…This is EVO is my youngest sister…"

"Oh yes, I know about that."

"But sir, I don't think she would be such a great asset here. She's too young, a little irresponsible…"

"Really bro?" I questioned looking mad. "I know I tried to run away when I was seven, but come on, I WAS SEVEN. And what other proof is left?"

Sheldon glared at me, but before he could retort, Circe, thank you, had to ask, "You have a sister?"

"And his name's Sheldon," Rex offered helpfully with a slight smirk. It looked sort of fake, though, like he was trying to be himself in a bad situation.

Circe almost smiled at this, but then I twisted to avoid a portal. I stepped right, then gave a leap left. I was ducking another shot when I realized that Breach was putting on a show…And I was the trick monkey. I froze and punched into one of the portals angrily. Breach let out a slight whimper over the fact I had hit her in the gut.

Van Kliess' face was very pleased, like he had wanted to test the extent of my powers. "Bravo that was very impressive. Few people can predict Breach's portals."

I glared at Breach for a fraction of a sentence. Then I said, "I'm not exactly pleased about the fact that I was putting on a show. Had I known, I'm sure I would have charged admission." Rex cracked a slight grin.

Van Kliess let out a chuckle. "Very witty. But let's get down to business then. You're an EVO of expectable skill and power, Sasha. Your talents are exponential. I believe that you would be a great asset to the Pack. Would you care to join?"

"No offense, but I did get kidnapped by the Pack," I said. I shoved my hand into my pocket and felt the baseball and something else. I stiffened my body. _Oh God no… _See, Vi has this talent with machines and likes to build stuff, but it doesn't always work out well. She also loses them and they often end up in strange locations, like my dad's briefcase or Mom's casserole or, like right now, in my jacket pocket. The little box-like thing I felt in my pocket was heavy and had a slight nick where it would activate when pressed. I tried to estimate quickly what I had in my pocket. Vi was obsessed with creating one thing in particular, but it was impossible to know how this machine would work. I forced my electric field over it and would have smiled in a better situation.

What I had in my pocket was gold. The device that would help Rex and me escape.

"I understand your issue with your…sudden arrival here," Van Kliess said, interrupting my thoughts. "But the Pack has great power, and you'd be able to see your brother more often."

"Tempting," I muttered as I pressed the little nick in my pocket. A soft wiz and a crackle issued and then a humming noise started. "But I prefer my freedom."

Then I turned and threw my baseball at Breach. She looked bemused and flicked her hand slightly. But nothing happened. No portals. Her eyes widened and the ball caused her to fall over and knock Circe and Biowulf down.

I grabbed Rex's hand and screamed, "RUN!" and we ran faster than Van Kliess could stop us.

"What the…? What's going on?" Rex said as we rushed out of the castle and into the thick forest. "How did that happen? What just happened in there?"

"Just keep running!" I shouted at him and so we ran, as the pulsing of the little machine in my pocket became louder and it's affects became even better.


	4. Chapter 3 We Run?

Chapter 4: We Run?

I kept running with Rex at my side and I was aware of the fact that every active Nanite in the area was shutting down. Well, not really. See, the Nanites were just being put in a sleep mode.

"What is going one?" Rex shouted as we race through the trees. I heard the sound of something running, no doubt Biowulf and maybe Sheldon, but it was hard to tell.

"SHUT UP AND RUN!" I screamed angrily at him as I bounded down a hill.

"Why run when you can ride?" Rex questioned and he stopped. I turned to see blue markings appear on his arms and legs. Then they faded and disappeared. "What the…?"

"Just run!"

He quickly caught up to me and said shocked, "Why can't I build anything? How were you able to throw that ball at Breach? How did…?"

"If you're going to keep asking questions, we're going to get captured!"

And so we ran for about ten minutes. We managed to lose whatever or whoever had been tailing us, but we were still in Pack territory. My lungs were heaving and Rex looked winded, too, so we stopped and sat down heavily against a tree. I touched the rough bark to check that its Nanites were still shut down. I gave a sigh of relief and took out the machine that had just saved our lives.

The device itself wasn't so impressive. It was a square piece of metal covered with dents, lines, and the little nick that could switch it on and off. It was a steel gray color while the lines etched into it were bright green, like Cool-Aid. I turned it over in my hands, the humming echoing slightly in the silent woods.

"Hey, what's that?" Rex looked very interested in the machine and said, "Sasha, what is that thing? Why is it humming?" His hand touched the top section, but not the nick, and blue lines appeared on his hand and the cube. His eyes widened and his mouth turned into a surprised O. "Who created this?"

"My sister Violet made this machine," I said and I stowed it back in my jacket. I tapped my baseball bat against the ground, debating whether or not to tell Rex any more. I shrugged and said, "This little piece of metal can create an electric field, like mine, but it can shut down every active Nanite in a mile range."

"…How did she build this? Why did she build it?"

"Vi's…good with machines. She built it to help Sheldon be…normal. This is the first time its' actually worked."

"Wait…When did you activate it?"

"Back in the castle, right before I hit Breach with my baseball."

"That's fast acting. But how do we get out of here now?"

"Good question…I think we should get out of Abysus' borders, then I'll switch the machine off, and you can build something to get us out of here."

"Good plan, but what about the Pack?"

"Breach can't make her portals too close so we should be able to stay out of their reach for a while. Let's get moving."

We started walking. Neither Rex nor I had any idea where the borders ended and how far away they were, but we were going to try.

"Hey…What did you mean by 'this is the first time it's actually worked?'"

"Last week, one of the prototypes my sister made blew up and created a hole in the wall the size of my fist."

"…What happens if this thing blows?" His face looked fearful, like he already knew the answer.

"You can build your machines; but the Pack can get to us them, too." And on that happy note, we turned and started to walk away, away from the castle that still loomed behind us.

"How much farther?" I groaned at this complaint. Rex and I had been walking for the last half-hour and we hadn't made too much progress. The castle was farther away, but it could still be seen and I seriously doubted that we were close enough to the border.

"Rex, if you ask me that question one more time…I swear I'm going to turn this machine off."

"Geez…Someone's in a bad mood."

I snorted and said, "No da…We're out here in the Pack's borders, with my brother and his friends after us, and we have no Nanites or help to get us out of here." I slumped against a tree. I wasn't much of a quitter, but this whole experience was a little too much for me.

"Don't be like that, Sasha," Rex said as he sat down next to me. "Look, I've dealt with these guys before and I know the borders are over those mountains, somewhere. We can do it, I know it."

"Thanks Rex. I'm not very good in these kinds of situations. This is the first time I'm actually up against EVOs and one of them is my big brother. I don't know this area and I'm pretty sure we're on our own out here."

"Please," Rex snorted. "I'm Providence's biggest weapon. Last time I got brought here, a rescue party showed up."

"Then why isn't there a search party going on?"

Rex shrugged his shoulders and expressed, "Even though Bobo saw us get snatched, Providence can't exactly find us in the wide ranges of Abysus. The time when they came to rescue Noah, Bobo, and me…They sent an army and only six found us." His voice went softer at this and he bowed his head.

"…That's how bad Van Kliess is?" I said softly. Out of a whole army only six people made it to him? Scary.

"Yup," Rex said sadly. Then he perked up. "Wait a sec…Bobo saw us get snatched, right?"

"Right."

"So therefor, Providence can track us through my Nanites!"

"But the machine shuts down Nanites, remember?

"Yes, but since the soil around here is just plain fused with this stuff…"

"They'll discover the lack of Nanites in a sector," I said with a shining bit of hope.

"…They get interested and they'll find us."

Then my smile disappeared. "Rex, if Providence can track us through the shut-down Nanites, doesn't that mean the Pack can find us, too?"

He took a quick glance around and said, "Let's get going." We got up and started walking towards the mountains. I couldn't help but clutch my baseball bat close. This territory was dangerous, and who knows what other kinds of EVOs lived around here.

I vaguely felt something behind us, something running, it's Nanites just starting to shut down. The Nanites were of three people…sorry, EVOs I knew: Breach, Biowulf, Circe, and…Sheldon.

"Crap!" I muttered as I grabbed Rex's arm and we raced away. He didn't even need to ask who was following us, since shards of green crystal blasted into the tree next to us. I whimpered slightly and nearly tripped over some roots. Rex pulled me to the right and we ducked into the brush.

Heavy panty sounded next to us and a scratchy, synthesized voice said, "I can't find them! My sensors shut down!" He growled and wacked a tree with so much force it snapped into two. I wanted to scream in fear, but Rex had thankfully placed his gloved hand over my mouth, blocking my panicked cry. "How the heck did Sasha even shut down this entire sector of Nanites?"

"Really B?" a raspy voice asked. My heart beat faster as I saw Sheldon step up to him and pointed him with his crystal club of an arm. "I know my sister, and she could NEVER do something like this. My other sis Violet probably backed her up with some tech to keep her safe and Sash activated it or something."

"…And you neglected to tell Van Kliess this? Why?"

"Do you think I WANT my entire family to join the Pack? No, I don't. Violet may make some cool tech, but it's pretty minor usually."

"Usually?" questioned Circe as she glanced around the area.

"Apparently, she made a small fuse bomb that destroyed a junkyard," Sheldon replied, "And another time, she built a remote activated device that made the announcement system blare rock music for two hours straight."

Rex was about to burst out laughing when I clamped my hand over his mouth. But a slight snort managed to escape.

"Wait," Biowulf said carefully. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Circe questioned.

Biowulf gave a metal sniff then turned to the bush were Rex and I was hiding. I quivered with fear. "Can you turn the machine off for a min?" Rex asked me quietly. I nodded and pressed the nick of the machine, ever so slightly.

Rex nodded to me and I grasped my baseball close. A simple plan ran through my mind. If the Pack saw us jump out they'd probably think we didn't have out Nanites online and they wouldn't either.

"Knock out Breach first," I whispered to Rex. "I'll take her down. You handle my brother. DON'T hurt him too bad." He nodded and together we leaped out of the bush.

"AIIIEEE!" Breach shouted as I rammed into her with my baseball bat. Rex had tackled Sheldon and was grappling with him. Sheldon couldn't shoot his crystals, or so he thought, you he tried to swipe at Rex with his club. Rex grinned at me and built his giant metal fist and smashed my brother with it, successfully knocking him out.

"What the…" Biowulf said before Rex bashed him in the face.

Rex gave me a look and I nodded. Then I slammed Breach into a tree and grasped her arm. I was not expecting what came next. My Nanites suddenly streamed out into Breach and returned…And I had not allowed them to do that. I gasped and let go. I grabbed my stomach like I was on the Tilt-A-Whorl and watched as my vision flooded with black spots. I shuddered and saw Rex rush to me, but Circe blasted him with her sonic scream, keeping him at bay.

As quickly as it had started, my dizzy spell was over. I shook my head then returned to fighting Breach. She opened numerous portals, but I evaded them. She fired one and I easily dodged. "Missed me!"

"Not aiming for you," she said happily. I froze and saw the portal streak for Rex. I called out a warning, but he was too busy dodging Circe's attacks. I have no idea what happened next, but as the red-black portal was about to swallow Rex, another portal, this one a green-blue, opened up in front of it and swallowed it.

"What the…" Breach started to ask, but I rammed her into a tree. She fell over and groaned. I turned back to Rex and Circe who were looking at me funny.

"What?" I asked them. "Aren't you two supposed to be fighting?" The two blushed at this and I quickly joined the fight with Rex. In a little bit, we were racing away from a passed out Pack.

"Where did that portal come from?" Rex asked me as I switched on the machine.

"No clue," I expressed, stowing the piece of metal back in my jacket. "How much farther 'till the mountains?"

**Any clue where that other portal came from? I know, but I'm not telling…Yet!**


End file.
